John Gotti
John Joseph Gotti, Jr. (October 27, 1940 – June 10, 2002), commonly known by the media as "The Dapper Don" and "The Teflon Don" after the murder of his former boss Paul Castellano, was the boss of the well known Gambino crime family, one of the Five Families in New York City. He became widely known for his outspoken personality and flamboyant style that eventually caused his downfall. In 1992, Gotti was convicted of racketeering, 13 murders, obstruction of justice, hijacking, conspiracy to commit murder, illegal gambling, extortion, tax evasion, loansharking and other crimes and was sentenced to life in prison where he died 10 years later. Early Life Gotti was born to Italian-American parents John Gotti Sr and Philomena "Fannie" Gotti. He was 12 when his family moved to Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn where he and his brothers Peter and Richard became part of a local street gang. In the early summer of 1954, while trying to steal a cement mixer, the mixer tipped over, crushing Gotti's foot, giving him a limp that would last him his life. In 1962, Gotti married his girlfriend of two years Victoria DeGiorgio. They had five children, Angela (Angel), Victoria, John A. "Junior" Gotti, Peter and Frank. John Gotti did not think very highly of his family, being recorded on video as saying "I took garbage Gotti blood and contaminated it with DiGiorgio blood." Gotti was also recorded on video as saying to his daughter Victoria "I'm not your father or John's father or these kids's grandfather." A brutal and short tempered family man, John Gotti had a stormy relationship with his wife with many arguments mostly verbal and sometimes physical. This has been proven by FBI tapes, and later became media fodder for the New York papers. Early Criminal Career Gotti's criminal career with the Gambinos began with fencing stolen goods from Idlewild Airport (later renamed JFK International) out of the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club in Ozone Park, Queens. A truck to JFK's United Airlines cargo area drove off with $30,000 worth of merchandise. A few days later the FBI began surveillance on Gotti and Ruggiero and caught them loading more goods, the FBI swooped in and arrested all three men. In February 1968, United employees identified Gotti as the man who signed for the earlier stolen merchandise. The FBI arrested him for the United hijacking soon after. Two months later, while out on bail, Gotti was arrested a third-time for hijacking--this time stealing a load of cigarettes worth $500,000 on the New Jersey Turnpike. Later that year Gotti pled guilty to the Northwest hijacking and was sentenced to four years at Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary. Prosecutors dropped the charges for the cigarette hijacking. Gotti also pled guilty to the United hijacking. Gotti spent less than three years at Lewisburg. After he was released from prison, he was placed on probation and ordered to find a legitimate job. Meanwhile he returned to his old crew at the Bergin club, still working under Carmine Fatico. Fatico was indicted on loansharking charges and made Gotti the acting capo of the Bergin Crew reporting to Carlo Gambino and Aniello Dellacroce. Gotti's crew, however, was caught selling heroin against the rules of the family with members possibly killed. Gotti and others had Paul Castellano shot six times along with his bodyguard, Thomas Bilotti, outside Sparks Steak House, and Gotti took control of the family. Gotti was arrested several times throughout his career, and although he served time in both state and federal prison (including a manslaughter conviction in connection with the shooting death in a tavern on Staten Island in 1973 of low-level Irish-American gangster James McBratney, who had kidnapped and killed Emmanuel Gambino, Carlo Gambino's nephew). By the 1980s, he was referred to by the news media as the "Teflon Don" as he avoided conviction on racketeering and assault charges. He was also known as the Dapper Don because of his expensive Brionihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brioni_(fashion) Suits With Hand Painted Silk Ties and Well Combed Hair. Family Tragedy On March 18, 1980, 12-year-old Frank Gotti, youngest son of John Gotti was run over and killed on a friend's bicycle by neighbor John Favara whose children were friends of the gotti children.Favarra drove for 200 Metres before He got out of the car and started shouting that it was the kids fault he was in the road, Favarra shut up when a neighbour told him it was gotti's son. Police found Favara was not to blame in the accident, which was officially ruled "accidental" and no charges were ever filed against him. However, in the months after the accident, the word "Murderer" was spray-painted onto Favara's car. On May 28, Victoria DiGiorgio Gotti, Frank's mother, attacked Favara with a metal baseball bat, sending him to the hospital. Favara decided not to press charges and planned to move out of Howard Beach. According to the FBI, on July 28, 1980, Favara was kidnapped and murdered by eight members of Gotti's crew while Gotti and his wife were out of town. Takes over Gambino family Paul Castellano, Gambino's brother-in-law, was elevated to the head of the crime family after Gambino's death in 1976. Gotti's crew was discovered to be selling heroin against the rules of the family. Gotti allegedly ordered the execution in late 1985 of Paul Castellano (he was shot six times along with his bodyguard Thomas Bilotti outsideSparks Steak House in mid-town Manhattan). Gotti then is said to have taken control of the family. Paul Castellano was rumored to have given Gotti the contract to kill notorious Gambino soldier and serial killer Roy DeMeo but Gotti is said to have politely declined. DeMeo was considered extremely dangerous and was said to have murdered as many as 200 people together with his crew which operated out of the Gemini Lounge in Brooklyn. On an FBI bug in the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club in Queens, Gene Gotti was heard telling Angelo Ruggiero that Castellano was having a difficult time finding anyone willing to kill DeMeo. Gotti was arrested several times throughout his career, serving time in both state and federal prison, including a manslaughter conviction in connection with the 1973 shooting death of low-level Irish-American gangster James McBratney who had kidnapped and killed Emmanuel Gambino, Carlo Gambino's nephew. By the 1980s he was referred to by the news media as the "Teflon Don" as he avoided conviction on racketeering and assault charges. Post arrest and death John Gotti after being physically assaulted in prison.Gotti was under electronic surveillance by the FBI; they caught him on tape in an apartment discussing a number of murders and other criminal activities. The FBI also caught Gotti questioning why his underboss Gravano had so many guys who were close to him winding up dead. On December 11, 1990, FBI agents and New York City detectives raided the Ravenite Social Club and arrested Gotti, Gravano, and Gambino Family consigliere Frank Locascio. Federal prosecutors have credited Gotti himself with assisting them in imprisoning all 23 family capos (in 1990), because Gotti ordered that all family capos had to meet him each Wednesday at the Ravenite Social Club, allowing the feds to establish the existence of a criminal enterprise. Gotti was charged with 13 counts of murder (including those of Paul Castellano and Thomas Bilotti), conspiracy to commit murder, loansharking, racketeering, obstruction of justice, illegal gambling, and tax evasion and sentenced to life inprisonment. Gotti was tried in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York before United States District Judge I. Leo Glasser. The federal prosecutor's evidence was overwhelming. Not only did they have Gotti on tape, but they also had several witnesses to testify against Gotti. Philip Leonetti, a former Underboss in the violent Philadelphia crime family, was going to testify that Gotti bragged that he had ordered Castellano's execution. Then, Salvatore Gravano agreed to testify against Gotti after he heard tapes on which John Gotti said nasty things about him behind his back. and agreed to testify against Locascio, with the promise of being entered into the Witness Protection Program. Gravano subsequently pled guilty to a single count of racketeering as part of a plea agreement in which he admitted responsibility for 19 murders. On April 2, 1992, after only 13 hours of deliberation, the jury found Gotti and Locascio guilty on all 13 charges. On June 23, 1992, Judge Glasser sentenced Gotti to life imprisonment without possibility of parole. He was sent to the United States Penitentiary at Marion, Illinois, where he was kept in a cell 23 hours a day. His Federal Bureau of Prisons ID was 18261-053. While in prison, Gotti offered $100,000 to the Aryan Brotherhood to kill Walter Johnson, a mentally unstable black inmate who had assaulted him. The Aryan Brotherhood accepted Gotti's offer. The prison guards surmised that Johnson was in danger, and moved him to a different cell block, ultimately transferring him to another prison where Johnson was eventually paroled. Gotti, during a prison visit with his family was recorded saying: "Being a nigger is an embarrassment." John Gotti died of throat cancer at 12:45 p.m. on June 10, 2002 at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, where he had been transferred once the cancer was diagnosed. Gotti had the lower half of his jaw removed because of the cancer and was fed through a tube. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn announced that Gotti's family would not be permitted to have a Mass of Christian Burial but allowed it after the burial. Popular Culture He was potrayed by Armand Assante in the 1996 film Gotti. He was potrayed by Tom Sizemore in the 1998 film Witness To The Mob. He was potrayed by Sonny Marinelli in the 2001 film Boss of Bosses. Gotti is Referenced in the 1989 Hip-hop song Road to the Riches by Kool G Rap & DJ Polo in the line "Be like John Gotti, and drive a Maserati." He was also referenced in an episode of The Sopranos where Tony Soprano claims to have met John Gotti when they both bidded for a the last ice cream truck of a bust company and Gotti outbid Soprano and drove the ice cream truck home. This story is of course false but the people Soprano was playing golf with were lost for words. Trivia John Gotti was 5ft 10 inches tall and weighed 200 pounds. John Gotti's suits were tailored by Italian Fashion House Bironi. John Gotti drove a Lincoln Continental Mark VI Sedan when he was a Capo. John Gotti drove a Black Mercedes 560SEL Sedan(Right) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:1979-1991_Mercedes-Benz_W126_500_SEC_and_560_SEL.jpg when he was a Don. John Gotti frequently truanted from school during his early life. John Gotti once got a legitimate Job as a Truck Driver. A Documentary shown on the Biography channel which was made about John Gotti it's available to view on YouTube in 5 Parts the link is below. John Gotti Biography Channel Documentary: http://www.youtube.com/user/OnlineMobVideos#g/c/D78AC6C4E611A4ED Quotes Random Quotes "I know where my mistakes are, where I made my mistakes. They’re too late to remedy, you know what I mean?" John Gotti to Unknown ‘‘You will put the garbage in the cans and make certain that the cans are covered. We got to keep our own backyard clean.'' John Gotti to Unknown “I called your fucking house five times yesterday, now, if you're going to disregard my mother fucking phone calls, I'll blow you and that fucking house up . . . This is not a fucking game. My time is valuable. If I ever hear anybody else calls you and you respond within five days, I'll fucking kill you.'' John Gotti to one of his Capos. John Gotti on Wisdom “When I think of the American Indian I think of their courage, strength, pride, their respect and loyalty toward their brothers. I honor the reverence they share for tradition and life. These traits are hungered for in a society that is unfortunately plagued by those whose only values are self-centered and directed at others' expense." John Gotti “He who is deaf, blind & silent, lives a thousand years in peace." John Gotti “I never lie to any man because I don't fear anyone. The only time you lie is when you are afraid." John Gotti "If you think your boss is stupid, remember: you wouldn't have a job if he was any smarter." "Don't Carry a gun. It's nice to have them close by, but don't carry them. You might get arrested. one liners “Three-to-one odds I beat this." John Gotti to the FBI. "I'm in the Gotti Family; My Wife's the Boss" John Gotti to the Press. category: Bosses category: Gambino Crime Family category: John Gotti Category:Gotti Faction Category:Gambino Bosses